The defense in Daniel Snyder's case against the Washington City Paper filed a motion for the case to be dismissed, and the judge presiding has given the Snyder camp until Aug 1 to respond to the claim and make a request for the case to be moved forward, according to Keith Alexander of the Washington Post. The onus of proof was always on Snyder in this case, but this new ruling has expedited that process and made him prove his case much faster.
At a hearing, Judge Todd E. Edelman told attorneys that he will use the Aug. 1 filing and a follow-up response from City Paper’s attorneys to determine if the lawsuit should be dismissed under the District’s new Anti-SLAPP Act or if Snyder can demonstrate that the case should move forward.
It seems like the judge kind of wants to get this trial out of his courtroom, and issuing this ruling is the fastest way to make that happen. I've said all along that the City Paper has the advantage in this case, and I still believe that to be the case. But because their biggest problem might be paying the legal fees, an expedited trial is really to their advantage.